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Dragon Age Dragon Age: Origins is ten years old today

Sykar

Arcane
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
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Turn right after Alpha Centauri
510dadb018c147091e172294e3ac0e88deeb1976.gifv
 

Bad Sector

Arcane
Patron
Joined
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2,223
Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
DA:O 2 is far WORSE than the the previous shitshow and I have to this day no idea how ANYONE can enjoy that garbage, period, it has very few redeeming qualities.

DA2 has an interesting premise with your coming to bring your family back to its higher status after a big catastrophe - at least personally i liked it way more than the yet-another save the world premise of DA:O. Also many of the characters in DA2 were funny to interact with. Some UX annoyances i had with the previous game like not being able to click somewhere far and have the character walk there were fixed in DA2 too.

It had issues, like the overly reused assets people mentioned at the time, but personally i didn't mind that at all.

The main thing i remember disliking was the last part of the game where blood mages pop out left and right which i found ridiculous.
 

Jedi Exile

Arcanum
Patron
Joined
Oct 10, 2010
Messages
1,177
Project: Eternity Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I remember playing DA:O on release and I was like, 'I can't stand this game anymore, everything is so stupid'. And I ragequit in Deep Roads after meeting that overweight lady. Then I gave it a go this year and I actually enjoyed playing it. Finished DA:O and then DA 2. The good thing about DA:O is that it still feels like old BioWare games. This is why I think it became quite popular here on the Codex. Sad that it is the last such game from them. DA2 is very different, it is indeed a Mass Effect game in DA universe.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
6,165
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
DAII has always reminded me vaguely of Planescape: Torment.

Shallow, dumbed down aRPG, RTwP mechanics
Writing and development resources heavily focused on companions and Influence system
Companions and Influence system driving the game's content and reactivity
Visual novel-structured narrative
Limited, cramped environments recycled for multiple questlines as the narrative progresses
Focused mostly on exploring the environs and factions of one city, rather than a country or region
Both have tight development schedules (and show it) and relied extensively on assets and technology that were developed principally for other games
Pre-generated player character with a well defined history and role within the game's setting (although the Nameless One's metaphysically peculiar circumstances ensure the player starts the game tabula rasa)
Emphasis on Alignment-driven dialogue
Certain stylistic design choices are colored by jRPGs (subtly in Torment, explicitly in DAII)
 
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Skinwalker

*teleports within you*
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West Pole
I never understood why the Origins system in DAO was crippled the way it was. With only three races and three classes, you'd think they would be able to provide a unique origin story for each possible combination. Made even easier by the fact that, according to THE LORE, dwarves are mysteriously incapable of being mages, and human/elven mages are treated pretty much the same. Thus, you only need 7 origins, and not the full 3x3.

And yet, the game only has 6. The Human Commoner is mysteriously absent, and a human rogue class is locked into the Human Noble origin story, which makes very little sense. Bioware had time to design that godawful Circle Tower Fade sequence, but couldn't implement a proper rogue-ish origin story for the HUMAN race?

Pathetic. *spits*
 

Marat

Arcane
Wumao
Joined
Jan 6, 2017
Messages
2,585
Originally, the human race had three origins; Noble, Mage, and Commoner. However, the Commoner origin was cut due to the story not fitting the tone of the game, as well as time constraints. The Human Commoner was from a farm in Redcliffe Village and some dialogue for this origin can still be found in the game files. At one time, there was also an Avvar origin. Dwyn was intended to be the villain in the Human Commoner Origin, which was cut from the game very early on. He is described in the toolset as a loan shark; a "generally nasty guy", "slick and mean with a greedy streak a mile wide. Lecherous." The human commoner's parents were to have taken out a loan from Dwyn.
The problem with origin system is how little bearing it had on the course of the game. Basically only Human and Dwarf Noble Origins had more than a few inconsequential lines of dialogue to them. A shame, it had great potential.
 

Skinwalker

*teleports within you*
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West Pole
Originally, the human race had three origins; Noble, Mage, and Commoner. However, the Commoner origin was cut due to the story not fitting the tone of the game
Calling total bullshit on this, none of the origins "fit the tone of the game" strictly speaking.

as well as time constraints
There we go.

The problem with origin system is how little bearing it had on the course of the game.
I've only ever played the mage origin, but it was a pretty fun and reasonably detailed tutorial level, and gave some background information that made me give a shit about my protagonist's predicament. Considering that this is Bioware we're talking about, I'd call it a stunning success. Normally you just go through the motions until the real game begins, DAO actually managed to pull off a tension-building wind-up for the drama.

It's during the obligatory Biowarian "visit four areas in any order and fix their local problems to assemble the endgame plot device" that things start to feel stale. I forget, did this game also do the thing where, after completing three chores, your party gets caught up in a "surprise" event that's supposed to shake everything up, but then you finish the sequence and have to go do your fourth chore like nothing had ever happened?
 

SpaceWizardz

Liturgist
Joined
Sep 28, 2018
Messages
1,050
The Human Commoner is mysteriously absent, and a human rogue class is locked into the Human Noble origin story, which makes very little sense.
Given the premise of the game (Leading an order of warriors) and Rogue's specializations (Bard, Ranger, Duelist) I think Rogue was just envisioned to be more on the side of a smooth-talking huckster/Robin Hood than the more typical loner thief.
 

Camel

Scholar
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Messages
2,056
I never understood why the Origins system in DAO was crippled the way it was. With only three races and three classes, you'd think they would be able to provide a unique origin story for each possible combination. Made even easier by the fact that, according to THE LORE, dwarves are mysteriously incapable of being mages, and human/elven mages are treated pretty much the same. Thus, you only need 7 origins, and not the full 3x3.

And yet, the game only has 6. The Human Commoner is mysteriously absent, and a human rogue class is locked into the Human Noble origin story, which makes very little sense. Bioware had time to design that godawful Circle Tower Fade sequence, but couldn't implement a proper rogue-ish origin story for the HUMAN race?

Pathetic. *spits*
Originally, the human race had three origins; Noble, Mage, and Commoner. However, the Commoner origin was cut due to the story not fitting the tone of the game, as well as time constraints. The Human Commoner was from a farm in Redcliffe Village and some dialogue for this origin can still be found in the game files. At one time, there was also an Avvar origin.
David Gaider
And, yes, originally there was a "Human Barbarian" origin where you began as one of the Avvars. Your clan was wiped out, with you as the last survivor, and you were able to re-visit your origin when you went to the Urn of Sacred Ashes plot (which was in Avvar territory -- this was prior to Haven's existence, and prior to the involvement of the Andrastian cultists). This was scrapped fairly early on, as we just didn't have the art resources to give the Avvars a different "look" and it didn't feel worthwhile to do them without doing them justice as a different culture.
https://web.archive.org/web/2015110...e-question-the-old-fereldan-tribes/?bioware=1
 

vota DC

Augur
Joined
Aug 23, 2016
Messages
2,259
Twitcher 1 is unplayable and the series only gets worse from there. DA:O >>>>> Twitcher
Witcher had hordes easier than bosses while DAO has hordes that are a lot more difficult than bosses, you really are in trouble if you don't spam area attacks and not all classes can't.
It Is realistic but a strange choice.
 

Nano

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
4,648
Grab the Codex by the pussy Strap Yourselves In
human rogue class is locked into the Human Noble origin story, which makes very little sense
Why's that? I don't see why nobility would prevent someone from developing the skills of a rogue, especially since the protagonist isn't the eldest child.

Bioware's really familiar with this character type, by the way. Safana, Skie, and Nalia from BG are all thieves that come from noble houses. The latter two go straight from their homes into your party.
 

Camel

Scholar
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Messages
2,056
You can certainly call Loki a rogue(dual wielding daggers)/mage in MCU who is an Asgardian prince while being an archetypal trickster.
 

oldmanpaco

Master of Siestas
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
13,609
Location
Winter
So I got bored the other day (really, really bored) and loaded this up. Installed some mods (Human Noble Mage!) and had a run with it. And oh man does this game suck. What's wrong with people in this thread?
 

Theldaran

Liturgist
Joined
Oct 10, 2015
Messages
1,772
I actually found DAO more playable than ME1. Maybe it was the marketing, maybe it was BG successor, maybe I just like Middle Age that much.

I think ME was more embarrassing with the assault rifle spam cheese, the ridiculous battles this produced, the samey bases (there were like 2 or 3 different models, right?) and the uninspired story.

This is not to say that DAO was a smooth experience, but at least it was a bit more immersive and slightly more interesting. I also don't like it when a single game takes you from zero to epic.

For me DAO marked the point when I started to grow suspicious of the new generations of videogames. I still repeated the same mistake with Pillars of Eternity. It's good to expand your CRPG experience but these entries are a little bit underwhelming.
 

Marat

Arcane
Wumao
Joined
Jan 6, 2017
Messages
2,585
I finished my second playthrough and mods definitely made the experience much more bearable. I also accidentally created the most chad Chad to ever chad for a Warden.
IziHxvv.png

Fo8DLj5.png

He slew a lot of pussy in this playthrough: elven maid, Leliana, Morrigan, Isabela, the demon...
 

Cael

Arcane
Joined
Nov 1, 2017
Messages
20,297
I finished my second playthrough and mods definitely made the experience much more bearable. I also accidentally created the most chad Chad to ever chad for a Warden.
IziHxvv.png

Fo8DLj5.png

He slew a lot of pussy in this playthrough: elven maid, Leliana, Morrigan, Isabela, the demon...

So no Romance arcs I assume ?
I think he meant screwed. I don't think you can kill Isabela in DAO.
 

BruceVC

Magister
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
7,701
Location
South Africa, Cape Town
I finished my second playthrough and mods definitely made the experience much more bearable. I also accidentally created the most chad Chad to ever chad for a Warden.
IziHxvv.png

Fo8DLj5.png

He slew a lot of pussy in this playthrough: elven maid, Leliana, Morrigan, Isabela, the demon...

So no Romance arcs I assume ?
I think he meant screwed. I don't think you can kill Isabela in DAO.

Okay I see what you mean but I only encountered Isabela in DA2. Is she in a DLC for DA:O?
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2018
Messages
50,754
Codex Year of the Donut
big difference between more modern games and their earlier counterparts is how easy it was to avoid a lot more of the weird shit if you didn't actively seek it out
much more in your face now

wonder if people would complain as much if it wasn't always pushed to front and center
 
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